tangle

/ˈtæŋɡəl/
noun
  1. A confused mass of twisted things, such as hair, wires, or plants.
    • Her hair was a tangle after she took off her hat.
    • There was a tangle of cables behind the computer desk.
    • The hiker got stuck in a tangle of thorny bushes.
  2. A confused or complicated situation.
    • He found himself in a tangle of lies and half-truths.
    • The negotiations became a tangle of conflicting demands.
    • The legal tangle took years to resolve.
verb
  1. To twist together into a confused mass.
    • The wind tangled her hair into a mess of knots.
    • Be careful not to tangle the fishing line when you cast it.
    • The kitten tangled the ball of yarn under the sofa.
  2. To involve in a complicated or difficult situation.
    • The company got tangled in legal disputes over the patent.
    • He didn't want to tangle himself in their argument.
    • She tried not to tangle with the bureaucracy of the school system.
Antonyms